The Life of a Lion
by FaLLeN AnGeL25
Summary: My second fanfic. It's sort of a rewrite of FFVIII, but just a little more. You get to look behind the scenes and see what Squall's really thinking. ^_^. So please read and review! It means a lot! But please no flames!
1. A Lion Is Born

The Life of a Lion

By: FaLLeN AnGeL

Disclaimer: You all know how it goes. Squaresoft own these wonderful characters, not me. And don't sue me for stealing Squaresoft's plot for the game. I'm not! I'm just rewriting it showing a bit more of Squall's personality. Honest!

Author's Note: This is my second fanfic. It's kind of like Squall's life story. It's kind of explaining exactly how Squall turned out the way he is. Sort of a rewrite of Final Fantasy VIII with just a little more in there. In this version, you get to see into the mind of the taciturn hero, go behind the scenes and discover what he's thinking about that's not shown in the game. ^_^  Please read and review! Your comments mean so much to me! Oh and words bracketed off like so: 'blah blah blah', are thoughts and words bracketed off like that in parentheses are Squall's thoughts in the "Dream World". I know you're probably tired of my incessant babbling (I would be too if I were in your shoes), so I'll cut it and start the story. Enjoy!

Chapter One: A Lion Is Born (Disc I, Part I)

He looked out of the window at the dark, colorless sky framed by mystical and foreboding clouds. They hung across the border of the horizon, shading all that lies behind it. Swirling over the mountains and shadowing dense forests in its dusky shelter, there was no escape from its cover of darkness. As he stared out at the shifting clouds, he felt as if they were one. The depressing and menacing colors of the cumulonimbus matched his stoic and dark demeanor; restless and constantly waged in a war with itself, doomed to struggle against its own conflicting problems.

            The clouds slithered closer and closer in its contemptuous battle. A streak of blinding light struck out into the sky, a jagged slash against its sullen, but calm façade. Yes, the sky was just like him; calm and reserved until a moment of eruptive emotions. He felt a strange and new sense of tranquility wash over him as he gazed out into its tenebrous mass, seeing a tangible replica of his feelings.

            But whom was this young man staring out at the incoming storm clouds? His story is a long one, full of pain and despair, but also awash with love and passion. The battles he had to fight with others and the ones waged inside his own tortured mind sculpted him into the man that he is today. But what could have happened to turn his world into an emotional entrapment, pain and suffering guarding the key? It all started 21 years ago…

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

Raine stared out at the dark stormy sky through the little window in the whitewashed room as she inhaled deeply through her throat. She was sweating profusely and the pains resonating from her lower body were almost unbearable. She snapped her eyes shut as a jolt of pain shot out of the back of her spine, sending her body into a frenzy of suffering.

            '_Laguna… where are you?'_

The thought quickly escaped her mind as the pain flowed freely through her again. She was on the brink of childbirth and her husband, the child's father, was off somewhere trying to save a little girl, of whom they both loved, while his wife and baby were at home enduring the torture by themselves. Besides her stood the worried doctor trying her best to coax the panicking woman. She cried out once more as the unseen force knocked the wind out of her.

"Calm down Raine. Inhale and exhale slowly. Panicking is not going to help you at all."

She couldn't help it. Her husband was gone and she had never experienced this much pain in her life. Her hot tears were streaming down her face and she felt like her body was being ripped open. She screamed in anguish as her nerves stood on end when her body seemed to rip in half.

The room was silent, deathly silent.

Then the cries of a newborn life rang out into the claps of thunder and patters of rain. The doctor held the child as Raine closed her eyes in exhaustion.

"Raine… boy… beautiful…"

Raine didn't hear half of the words that the doctor was saying. She could barely breathe and lay limp on the bed as the voice continued. She felt the air draining from her lungs and the feeling of light freedom pass through her. She felt hands grasping at her, attaching who knows what to her dying body. She knew that she wouldn't make it. She knew that she was leaving her child all alone to fend on his own in this strange new world… Born on a stormy night all alone. A storm… a squall… a violent tossing rainstorm… squall…

"…Squall…" she whispered though chapped lips.

"What Raine?" The doctor's voice was faint as if she were miles away, talking to her through a sea of echoes.

With her last once of strength and intake of breath, she whispered the name that would christen her new child. "…Baby…Squall…" With that, her eyes closed shut, never to open again.

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

He sat at the back of the garden, his back against the tree and his head resting in his arms as his light brown hair toppled over the small limbs. A small sniffle escaped from the hunched figure and it did not go unnoticed by the lovely woman sitting on the stairs. She got up, her long black dress and hair swaying in the gentle sea breeze. She stepped lightly over the grass and proceeded towards the maple tree that she knew the little boy was hiding behind. She walked around its base and kneeled down in front of the curled up child who sobbing quietly into his arms.

"Honey, what's the matter?"

Instead of looking up at her, the four-year-old boy just buried his head further into his arms as if trying to hide himself from her kind touch.

The woman extended her arm and wrapped it around the boy's shoulder, bringing him into her gentle hug. He tried to resist it, but she held him closer. She knew that he wanted it, but he just wouldn't admit that he needed a caring shoulder to lean on.

"Matron…" his small shaky voice called out her name. She was their Matron. She took care of all of them, each and every one of them that lived on her orphanage. Even though they were not her biological children, she still raised them as if they were her own, caring for all of them and attending to their special needs. Never did one of her children go ignored for more than a minute. She was always there for them.

"Yes, sweetie?"

            "…I miss Sis…" The little boy sniffled once more and finally decided to lay his head on her shoulder.

            "I know you do. We all do."

            "But why did she have to go away? Doesn't she love us anymore…?"

            "Of course she does. Just because she isn't here right next to us at the moment, it doesn't mean that she doesn't love us anymore."

The little boy finally looked up at her with his puffy red eyes and his tear-streaked face. It pained her to see him suffering so much. "If she still likes us, then why did she go away?"

Matron just looked at the poor child. His heart was so young and fragile… the pain of the loss must be tormenting him dearly.

"Squall… you will understand when you are older."

She held onto the boy like a mother protecting her child from danger. He clung onto her long sleeves and kept on mumbling "Why?" into the bodice of her gown. She couldn't tell him though, and it hurt her to know that she couldn't make it all better this time like she always did.

'My poor child… one day you will understand…' 

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

The boy lifted up his gunblade and swung it down onto the head of the Grat assaulting him, pulling the trigger exactly when it came into contact with the monster's head. It flailed its leafy tentacles around in the air in pain before it dropped dead to the ground. He pulled out a black handkerchief and wiped the green slime off of his prized possession and walked back towards the stunned group.

Squall was fourteen now. Handsome, intelligent, and already stoic. But besides all of that, he had already learned how to master his gunblade quite well and the group stared at him astonished that he had taken out the poisonous monster with one blow. He avoided their looks and quietly walked to the back of the bunch.

The gunblade was a particularly difficult weapon to master and took of lot of skill and patience. That was one of the main reasons why he had chosen that as his weapon. He liked a challenge, and the harder it was, the harder he strived to overcome it. But also, he just wanted to outdo his rival.

Seifer… They had grown up together, taken care of by the beloved Matron. Even just as young children, a rivalry had already grown between the two. Even though Squall tried, Seifer would most of the time outdo him. Maybe it was that fact that Seifer was taller and stronger than the weak little Squall. But he was growing now, already reaching the height of 5'4, which is really quite small but considering the fact that Squall was a small child, that was quite a lot.

As he walked along behind everyone else in the Training Center of Balamb Garden, the famous military academy that he attended, he heard a familiar high-pitched and maturing voice of a male call out to him.

"Squall thinks he's SO cool that he beat a measly Grat with just one weak hit. You're a chicken-wuss Leonheart! I could take out an army of Grats in minutes! Ha! Let's see if you could do that!"

Squall's blood was boiling inside of his veins. Seifer, even though already fifteen and at a startling height of 5'10, acted like a little three-year old. He stuck his tongue out at Squall, glaring at him with his wild blue eyes. Squall ignored him and looked away, crossing his arms in front of him, a position which he will be famous for in just a couple of years. Seifer, outraged by Squall's ignorance, clenched his fists and made his way over to the boy standing alone, as far away as he could be from the group.

"What's a matter chicken-wuss? Can't stand up and face me like a man?"

The words seared through Squall's conscience and he gritted his teeth, restraining himself from pelting the blond boy taunting him with a blow to his ugly face. Seeing the anger surge inside of his rival made Seifer feel overconfident, and he went against the rules of conduct of the Garden and swung his fist against the other's stomach using all of the force he could muster. The blow had hit Squall hard right in the solar plexus, causing him to double over, the wind knocked right out of him. He fell to the floor gasping for the air that would not come to his breath-deprived lungs as terrified students watched and his rival beamed.

He gasped in a sharp intake of air as he felt arms around him, helping him sit up from the position he had taken on the soft earth. He opened his watery eyes, the pain still lingering from the hit, and saw Seifer being held by the instructor. He watched slowly as he was forced out of the Training Center with the teacher yelling at him and holding his arms behind him. He began to breathe again and the arms around him slid slightly in its hold. He turned around and looked at the person that had helped him.

What Squall saw was a pretty girl with golden spun hair and pale blue eyes that looked kind and sweet. It was Quistis. She had lived with him in the orphanage like they all had. She touched the side of his cheek and smiled at him.

"You ok, Squall?"

Her voice was soft, a light sound that glided through the air. Her touched lingered for a moment before her long, graceful fingers ran along his jaw line, tracing the side of his face. Quistis was fond of Squall, even though he didn't return her feelings. She was almost fifteen, top of the class, and one of the most wanted girls in Garden. Even though she was so young, she had already developed gorgeous features and an air of power and grace. Most of the boys admired her, all except for Squall. Even though she was all of this, he still couldn't find her attractive. He just thought of her as a friend, even as a sort of surrogate sister.

He pulled back a bit from her stroke, a little startled by the emotion she was portraying towards him. He turned his head sideways, embarrassed by her touch, and murmured his answer into the collar of his uniform. 

"Yeah, I'm fine."

He didn't want to tell her that it hurt and that he was still a little winded from the attack. He had to maintain face. What would Seifer do to him if he found out that he admitted that he was a weakling?

Quistis smiled incredulously at him and sighed. Then she leaned in closer to him and he tried to back away, but she held onto his shoulders and put her mouth close to his ear, her breath tickling the lobe as she whispered to him.

"Squall, you don't have to lie to me."

He pulled away from her and looked at her with what appeared to be a mixed look between a glare and a plea.

"Whatever." His voice was monotonous, showing just how much he cared for what was said to him.

She gave up and stood back on her feet, extending her arm to him. He ignored her and pushed himself up onto his own shaky knees. He would have liked to accept her help, but that would just mean that he was giving into Seifer's idea of him being frail. He walked back to the back of the group once more and waited for their instructor to return.

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

Seventeen is such a volatile age. Nothing ever stays the same; always changing, always shifting. This is the last year as a teenager to enjoy untamed freedom before one embarks on the arduous and difficult journey known as adulthood. This is the year when his life forever changed. 

            Squall, by now, was practically worshipped by all of the female population in Garden. It really was no wonder. He was strikingly handsome and had an aura of strength and courage, but also a hopelessly aloof attitude. He had piercing steel blue eyes, deep like a vast ocean of dark azure hues and a stern pout forever engraved on his lips. His tall and toned form was often clad behind a waist-length leather jacket with a white fur collar, black trousers, and his signature belts: two crossing over each other under the first, and three running down his right thigh, which carried healing potions and other remedies. His soft sandy brown hair was kind of long and choppy, always messy and tousled, carelessly flopping over onto his face and nearly covering up his newly achieved scar. The new fresh scar that still burned across the bottom of his forehead running down the bridge of his nose in a diagonal stroke.

            Earlier that morning, Squall and Seifer were training on one-to-one combat with no magic allowed. While they were fighting, Seifer broke the rules and fired a cheap fira spell at him, knocking him to the floor in a blaze of flames. As he slowly got to his knees, shaking from the burns across his skin, he glanced up to catch sight of the 6'2" blond bring down his gunblade, the Hyperion, in a downward slash towards him. He felt the piercing pain of his flesh slicing open and searing blood streaming down across his face, blurring his vision into a haze of startling scarlet. Delusional and nearly blinded from the immense pain from his head, Squall pushed himself up and ran towards his rival swing his own weapon, the Revolver, at his face in an upward sweep, striking him and marking him with the exact shame that he had done unto him. Now they would both wear identical marks, different in only the fact that they slanted in different directions, signifying their hatred towards one another. All of their memories shared in the orphanage together were all gone.

            In fact, all of his childhood memories were gone. He had been junctioning Guardian Forces, supernatural beings that can be summoned in battle to aid the fighter. Junctioning GFs also allowed one to junction different sorts of magic to boost their stats to their own advantage. But there is a terrible side effect of using the powerful allies. When junctioned, the GFs live in the warrior's mind, inside his brain in the area reserved to store his memories. As the GF grows within the junctioner, it grows into that memory pocket, slowly taking up the space and slowly erasing old memories. He had been junctioning GFs since he was thirteen, they all had except for one, and in return, they had all forgotten about their past.  But who were "they"? He could not remember anymore, all that he could remember was the painful loss of a loved one.

All of his childhood memories had been lost. He couldn't remember whom he lived with in that little stone orphanage by the sea, or even who had raised him. He couldn't remember how it came to be that he and Seifer hated each other so much. All he knew was that he wanted to be a SeeD, and now he had accomplished just that.

SeeD was Balamb Garden's elite mercenary force. They worked as high paid mercenaries usually assigned to help aid resistance movements or protect citizens. To be admitted into SeeD, one has to be at least fifteen and no older than nineteen, for when you reach the age for twenty, whether you graduate or not, you must leave the Garden unless you have achieved SeeDship, then you were allowed to stay as long as you were a member. You must pass a written test then take part in a field exam, usually where the candidates are accompanying a group of SeeDs on a mission. It is very difficult to pass for the many regulations one is graded on makes it almost impossible to be admitted into the organization. Though the true reason why SeeD exists is still unknown. But he would find that out soon in a turbulent course of chain events in the near future.

His field exam was earlier that day in the afternoon. The mission: to free the country of Dollet being attacked by Galbadia. Galbadia was the superpower of the West. It had conquered many local countries and was now growing into a large all-powerful nation. But now it had its sight set on the old empire of Dollet. When they had assembled in the lobby for their team groupings Squall was bitterly disappointed. Much to his dismay, he was put on the team with the loud-mouthed and quick-tempered Zell Dincht, the martial arts expert. But even worse, the captain of his squad, Squad B, was none other than the man who had so generously given him the scar that would haunt him for the rest of his life… Seifer.

He had to bite his tongue and follow the orders of this arrogant and snotty blond that was one year his senior. When they arrived at their destination and followed orders as told, securing the Central Square, all was quiet. They waited and waited until finally Seifer ordered them to move out and abandon post. Knowing that this was his pig-faced captain's order, he followed, not wanting a bad grade on his exam, and also party because he wanted to wreak some havoc. So the team followed Seifer to the Communications Tower where they had heard gunfire. But as they neared it, they realized that it was a nesting ground for monsters. After fending off a couple of weak monsters such as caterchipillars and anacondurs, they reached the tower. As they watched some soldiers head on in, Seifer began to talk about his dreams, but Squall steered away from that subject, wanting to keep all of his information to himself. Then Seifer ran inside, leaving the two boys standing out on their own on the cliff overlooking it.

Then they heard someone calling out to Squad B. They turned around and saw a spunky and petite brunette run towards them then stumble down the rocks. It was the same transfer student from Trabia Garden that Squall had reluctantly showed around that morning. Her name was Selphie. She was a messenger and needed to talk to the squad captain. They ran on inside to find that the Galbadians were repairing the old obsolete mechanism. They took a lift up and when they reached the top, they were confronted by a captain and lieutenant of the Galbadian army names Biggs and Wedge. They would later turn out to be constant thorns in their side. They fought them, but in the middle of the battle, a large monster called Elvoret that had been nesting in the broken-down tower, flew down and swept away the two men. They fought the battle as well as they could and defeated the creature.

Finally Selphie could give her message. It was an order to withdraw at 1900 hours. That meant that they had half an hour to get to the shore before the ships that took them there left without them. Seifer, being the stubborn brat that he was, abandoned them and took the lift down once again leaving them. They followed after him to head back to the beach.

But as the trio stepped out of the door, they heard a screeching metal noise before the X-ATM092, a spider resembling killing unit nicknamed the "Black Widow" that never stopped until its target was destroyed, jumped down from the roof of the tower and landed in front of them, forcing them into a battle. It was a long and tough battle and they watched their precious minutes tick by. But finally they managed to damage it enough using thundara spells and the GF Quezacotl that it momentarily collapsed, giving them a moment to escape. They ran off but soon they heard the metal scrapes of its eight legs lumbering after them. They managed to escape it for a while but had to fight it once more as the minutes were down to the bare minimum. 

Just as they reached the sand along the beach, it rose again and lumbered after them with more vigor than ever, determined to destroy its target. Squall had tripped and fallen over a ledge, left behind as the huge mechanical demon chased after him. Using all of his energy, he sprinted towards the leaving ship and leaped for the open door just as the monster neared the ship. It looked like he wasn't going to make it, but the amazing Quistis, SeeD at the astonishing age of fifteen and instructor to Squall and his classmates at seventeen, manned the ship's machine gun and pelted the metallic beast with bullets until it fell to the sand in a contorted, fiery heap, giving the ship a chance to escape.

Now he was standing all-alone in a corner of the ballroom on the second floor dressed in his new official SeeD uniform and leaning against the wall, quietly sipping his champagne at the Inauguration Ball, lazily looking about at the people milling around the crowded room enjoying themselves. The only four people to pass the exam were him, Zell, Selphie, and some other boy whom he couldn't remember the name of, or for a matter of fact, care. He had been pestered by Zell and Selphie just moments ago but shook them off when he ignored them and continued to take in the cool, sweet drink between his lips. Now alone once again with just his thoughts, he stared up at the velveteen night sky above the glass skylight, catching the sight of a lone shooting star streak against its dark stretch. As he looked down, his heart skipped a beat at the sight he saw.

There across the crowded dance floor was the most beautiful thing he had ever set his eyes on. His heart beat wildly at the sight of this lovely beauty staring up at the star dotted sky, mesmerized by same star that he had just looked upon. She pulled her eyes off of the night's dazzling artwork and turned around, just to catch sight of him staring at her. She smiled and pointed a dainty finger up at the sky where the star they had both admired had been. He cocked his head slightly to the side and watched as she lightly wandered over to him… into his heart.

'What is this I'm feeling?' 

He didn't know what it was. Was it love at first sight? His heart had nearly leapt out of his chest when he saw her smiling at him. Now she was gracefully making her way towards him, her raven, shoulder-length hair waving gently with her movements and her ivory dress shimmering in the soft chandelier light, tantalizingly brushing against her thin thighs. He tightened his grip on the glass of champagne in his hand as she reached him. He watched her curiously as she put her hands behind her back and leaned the top half of her body towards him, looking up at his face, studying his features. He felt his breath increasing as her angelic eyes studied his face.

"You're the best-looking guy here. Dance with me?" Her voice was sweet and melodic, a graceful and soft song that weaved skillfully through the air. The sound of her voice was alluring and bewitching, casting a spell over him. He could feel a knot grow in his throat and he tried to swallow it, but to no avail. So he lifted his glass and placed the rim to his lips, taking in the champagne in hopes that it would wash away the barrier blocking off his voice. But she mistook it as if he was trying to brush her away, which was the last thing that he wanted to do.

"Oh I get it. You'll only dance with someone you like, huh?" He looked away from her, hoping that she didn't see the look of nervousness spread across his face. He breathed deeply, trying to calm down his racing heart.

She put a perfectly manicured finger to her lips as she frowned, thinking. Then she clapped her hands together, a smirk on the corners of her lips. She reached over to him, and with her hand, turned his face toward her, startling him. Then she looked at him seductively and began to twirl her hand him front of his eyes as if attempting to hypnotize him while chanting.

"Look into my eyes… You're going to like me… You're going to like me…"

But she didn't need to try to hypnotize him. He was already enthralled by her sheer beauty and grace.

She stepped back and cocked her head at him teasingly. "Did it work?"

He breathed nervously and finally broke the shield between him and his voice. But when he used it, it was shaky and uncertain.

"…I… can't dance." This wasn't exactly true. He could dance, and he was quite good at it too. But he never had to dance with such a vision of beauty before and he was afraid of what his nervousness would do to his ability. It was better to not experience, rather than suffer the humiliation when you mess up. That was what he thought when he uttered those words.

She smiled at him playfully and shook her head.

"You'll be fine. I'm looking for someone. I can't be on the dance floor alone." With that she placed her delicate hand on his arm. He held his breath as she roughly tugged him out onto the center of the dance floor. He was clumsy, nervous and afraid of the new and strange feelings that he was experiencing. He swallowed the lump in his throat as she placed his shaking hand on her slim waist and took hold of his other in one of hers, while draping her free arm on his shoulder. He could feel his body quiver as she pulled him closer to her.

She began dancing and leading him along, but in his nervousness, he was extremely klutzy and was tripping over his own feet and almost on hers. They danced around a bit more until she pulled away from him in one of the dance steps and swung back. But he had forgotten the dance in his confusion of feelings and swung back a little too hard, stumbling onto her. Completely horrified and humiliated at what had happened, he let go of her delicate frame and shook his head, slowly walking away intending fully to go back to his little corner and hide in shame. But she ran after him and pulled him back towards her, resuming her graceful movements as he watched her twirling around him. As they waltzed around, she was like a little gentle flower blossoming in the shade of a growing tree. Her petite frame of barely 5'3" was shadowed in his lanky height of 5'8". Just as he was relaxing a bit, carefully watching his feet just to make sure he didn't tread on hers, they bumped into a couple dancing nearby. Abashed, Squall just backed away looking at the couple with a pleading look in his eyes. He was amazed when his partner wrinkled her nose and stuck her tongue out at them, as if chiding them for ruining their little moment together.

Soon, dancing came naturally to him and he felt like he could do anything by her side. Their bodies moved synchronized with each other as the ethereal waltz flowed through their ears. A strange feeling was coming over him… he wanted to trust her… he wanted to tell her about all of his dreams… he was falling in love with her. They pulled each other close and as if on cue, bright beautiful fireworks exploded above them dotting the calm night sky with flashes of vivid color. Squall was sure that he felt those fireworks explode in his heart first as it jerked inside of him. Unable to speak, he could only stare at the blast of light, dreaming of the stunning girl that he held in his arms. He looked down at her, an enchanted look glowing in his eyes. But it soon faded and all he could do was merely gaze after her as she flounced away from him, taking the shattered ribbons of his heart with her. He felt his heart sink to the bottom of his being. He didn't even get her name, and now he would never see her again, her pleasant memory being the only thing that he had left of her magnificent appearance into his cold and lonely life.

That night Squall returned to his new dorm assigned to him when he reached SeeDship. He hastily pulled off his uniform and slid into bed, pulling the covers over him, snuggling into their soft warmth. But all that he could think of was holding that beautiful girl he met that night in his arms and feeling her soft and warm body against his. He sighed and closed his eyes. He couldn't figure out the new feelings he felt, but he knew that they would never be satisfied. He scolded himself for not asking her what her name was. Maybe if he had, he could have had a chance to see her again. Just to see her once more… to see her pure and innocent features… to hear her soft and melodic voice… to feel her arms around him again… He tossed and turned as his mind filled with a new sort of agony, one he had never felt before. The agony of losing someone before you even had a chance to meet them.

Author's Note: Well, what do you think? If you like it, please review and I'll post up the next chapter as soon as I'm finished with it. Please no flames. I'm new, so be nice.


	2. The Dream

Disclaimer:  Yada yada blah blah blah. You get it. I don't own anything, Squaresoft does.

Author's Note: I'm back! Ok, so I had nothing to do today so I decided write the next chapter and post it up. Hope you like it! Oh, and words in parentheses are whispers. And one last thing, sorry bout the paragraphs. Something gets screwed up when I upload the document, so some of the paragraphs don't have indents. So I'll shut up now (I know you've been dying for me to) and let you read.

Chapter Two: The Dream (Disc I, Part II)

"Squall!"

Squall groggily opened his eyes only to meet the soft glow of light pushing in through the cracks of his blinds. As soon as he recovered control of his body again, he heard the insistent knocking that was plaguing his door.

"Squall! Get up!"

He pulled off the cover and shivered as the cool air reached his bare upper body. His dream was still fresh in his mind, the image of the beautiful girl he met last night still drifting through his thoughts. He sat up and looked at the door. He was having a good dream, and he was a little pissed off at the person outside that disturbed it. He was just about to ask who it was that was knocking on his door at five in the morning when an answer came through.

"It's me, Selphie."

He combed his hand through his hair, pushing a strand off of his forehead.

'What does she want… and at frickin' five in the morning?' 

"Get up! We got our first SeeD mission today! Meet at the front gate in half and hour. Hurry up!" Without waiting for an answer, she bounded off and Squall listened to the sound of her boots thumping against the tiles of the hall.

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

Fully clothed and a strong cup of coffee in hand, Squall headed down to the front gate where they, whoever that was, were supposed to meet. As he walked past the old gatekeeper, he saw two familiar figures in close distance.

Cid Kramer, the creator and headmaster of Garden, was standing with his back to Squall talking to someone who seemed surprisingly jumpy so early in the morning, her short little yellow dress shifting as she fidgeted around along with her chocolaty locks bobbing at her shoulders. As he walked closer the girl looked at him and he recognized the striking emerald eyes.

"Squall!"

It was Selphie. A cute little sunny dress hung around her body conforming to her curves with a pair of suede boots slipped onto cute little feet. She jumped a bit and waved at him over Headmaster Cid's head.

They all leaned against the railing and waited for the others to arrive, though they still didn't know who else was coming, for Headmaster Cid hadn't informed them. As the minutes passed by, they finally heard a humming noise. Out of nowhere, Zell jumped out riding his T-board. But the Garden faculty that had arrived during their wait confiscated it. Squall, if he hadn't practiced that stoic look on his face for so many years, would have at least snickered a bit at the hilarity of it. But his face was still just as ever, showing none of the emotion he felt inside.

Then the headmaster began the briefing of the mission. Squall looked around wondering where the others were. Just as the question was about to slip out of his lips, Zell had already asked it, looking around at nothing in particular but instead just scanning the area.

            "Uh… just the three of us??"

            It was just the three of them. They were dispatched to Timber and were to assist the group the "Forest Owls". A member from the team would contact them as they departed from the train, saying the phrase, "The forests of Timber sure have changed." With that they were supposed to answer, "But the owls are still around." The three of them took a car over to the city of Balamb and boarded the train heading to the once forest occupied area of Timber.

            When Squall had quickly whipped out his Gil and paid for the ticket, Zell and Selphie nearly beat the crap outta him when they found out that he was being paid nearly twice what they were. What? It wasn't his fault that he got the SeeD rank 10.

            SeeD had special privileges and they got their own cabin. Selphie was out by the window staring out at the scenery as it raced past, singing a quite annoying song about trains. Squall sat down and tried to think, but was pestered by Zell about what he knew about Timber. He didn't want to talk and tried to tell him to shut up. After many cold remarks, Zell finally got the point and gave up. Then Selphie came in, wobbling and holding here head, complaining that she didn't feel good. Then she collapsed onto the soft plush seat, just as Zell held his head in his hands. Squall just stared at them in disbelief as Zell fell onto the seat next to Selphie. As he gawked at them, he felt a sharp pain in his head. He felt dizzy and fell onto the ground clutching head. A loud eerie tone began blasting through his ears as he struggled to stay on his knees. The room spun and his head pounded with the force of incoming tides.

            'What's happening?'

            The noise grew louder and seemed to encompass him completely. He felt a sharp flash of pain in his temples and collapsed on the floor, unconscious like the rest of his team.

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

            Squall looked around. He was in a new and strange land which he couldn't recognize.

            ('Where the hell am I???')

            He tried to move but found his attempt futile. When as he stared awkwardly around at the forest-like surroundings, he felt his legs suddenly step forward. Before he knew it, he was running through the grassy plain staring at the blazing fire ahead of him. His crazed thoughts kept racing around in his head, confused on what was going on.

('This must be a dream…') 

            But his thoughts were interrupted as he heard a voice yell out to him.

"Uh, Laguna. You sure this is the right place?"

'Uh… no. I'm positively sure this isn't the right place.'

Squall nearly jumped when he heard the thought flash through his mind.

('The hell…? That wasn't my thought.')

He felt his arm move upward and slowly scratch the back of his neck, a small, embarrassed laugh emanating from his lips. He was expecting the motion to feel awkward, but it didn't. Laughing felt like the most natural thing he did.

"Well… um, you see…"

"Laguna, don't tell me we're lost again."

He automatically knew who the man that addressed him was. It was Kiros, and the tall burly man behind him was Ward. They were dressed in their normal Galbadian uniforms. But how did he know? He had never seen these people in his life before. Maybe this Laguna person that he apparently was knew them.

He laughed nervously again. "Anyways… we're going home. Deling City here we come!"

He felt his legs running off to somewhere again.

('Man… this guy's an idiot.')

The climbed into what appeared to be an army vehicle. After a long drive with stupid comments from his own mouth, much to his dislike, they arrived in a city washed in flashing lights and busy noises. He parked the car in the middle of the street and they made their way over to the hotel for a "friendly drink", as he so kindly put it. Squall wasn't really paying attention to the mindless babbling, but in the midst he realized that it had to do with booze and some hot pianist.

They entered the plush and expensive hotel and proceeded down to the bar. Squall's mind was still racing as they sat down at the table.

('Where am I???')

'What is this damn voice that I'm hearing…?'

The two conflicting thoughts were cut short when he heard a voice address him.

            "Hey Laguna. She's gonna come down in a sec. So you gonna do it tonight?"

            He felt the rush of embarrassment race through his mind and he shook his head. "No way man!"

            Ward, very happily sipped at his liquor as he countered the statement. "So you '_say'_, but we know you'll do it anyways."

            "You guys– "

            "Look, here she comes. Go wave to her."

            He felt his head whip around just to see young woman dressed in a wine colored dress head down the velvet covered steps. She walked gracefully over to the piano and sat down, playing a soft and romantic tune across its crisp white keys. Squall, even though he was the least romantic that anyone could ever get, was touched, barely though, by sweet melody of the song.

('She reminds me of someone…')

'Ah… Julia…'

He felt himself get up and slowly make his way over to the pretty woman.

'Ah… to be this close to Julia…' 

('This guy is pathetic.')

Suddenly, he felt a pain in his leg and realized that the twisting feeling was his muscles cramping up. He grabbed it in pain as he slowly began to limp around, hoping that it would go away. He saw the pianist's brown eyes gaze up at him and all he could do was wave sheepishly before he made his way back to his table.

('Sad…')

Squall was bored and wanted to get the hell outta his freakish dream or whatever it was. He just wanted to be in his own bed with his own normal dreams. Unwittingly, he vehemently wished that he were dreaming that somewhat lustful dream again, the one about that lovely girl he met last night. When he realized what he was thinking, he quietly chided himself for sounding so love struck. He almost sounded like this moron that he was stuck in. He had vowed never to open up his heart again. He just couldn't, not after what happened with Sis… he couldn't afford risking the chance of getting hurt again.

Squall was so stuck in his own thoughts, that when he finally stopped brooding to himself, he realized that Laguna was in one of the rooms in the hotel, holding onto the girl's hands.

('Oh God NO! I do NOT wanna watch as this idiot gets lucky!')

"I must be dreaming…" Laguna gently stroked the woman's hands.

"… Is this a dream?" she asked, still gazing up into his eyes, up into Squall's very unhappy eyes. He tried to shut his eyes, but found it useless. He still stared down at her. She looked almost like… the girl he met last night. But still, he wanted to get the hell outta there, wherever he was.

('This is a dream… This is a dream…')

Just then, to his surprise and relief, a knock sounded on the door.

"Laguna! New orders. Meet at the Presidential Residence on the double!"

He turned to look back at the girl. "I have to go, but I promise to come back. I have to hear you sing."

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

"This train headed to Timber will soon be arriving. All passengers getting off, please have all of your belongings with you."

Squall groggily opened a lead-laden eyelid only to meet soft red carpeting. He inhaled deeply and forced his aching muscles to obey and pushed himself up from the floor. He stumbled back a bit, still stunned and quite dizzy from his experience.

"Were we all… asleep?" That was the first question that came to his mind, but definitely not the last.

"I think so. Maybe someone released a sleeping gas. You know, there are a lot of people who resent SeeD…" Zell sounded almost as groggy as him, but yet, still somewhat energetic.

"Is everybody alright? Does everybody have everything?" Selphie piped, checking all of her belongings and Gil to make sure that none was stolen.

He did so too as Zell frantically shoved his hands in hidden pockets pulling out gum wrappers and other bits of garbage. Squall, after serious training of the muscles of course, hid his smirk as Zell continued going through what seemed a million unknown pockets looking for precious items that he didn't seem to have. Finally he found his money and supplies and smiled happily, shoving all the trash and wrappers into the wastebasket.

"Yeah, I think so." Then he smiled sheepishly and laughed. "I've been meaning to clean out my jacket for a while…"

Selphie giggled. "For how long? An millennium?"

Squall, tired from his dream and laden down with thoughts, walked over to the double bunk beds on the side of the room and leaned against them, already deep into his thinking. He was brought short when he heard Selphie's happy little voice, much too happy for his liking. He didn't quite like cheery and bubbly people; they plain giggled too much and were just too optimistic.

"I had such a nice dream." She sat and the sofa and smiled.

'I didn't. I dreamt that I was a moron.'

"But seriously," she continued. "Sir, Laguna is so cool!"

Squall nearly fell over from where he was leaning.

"Wha? There was a Laguna in my dream to! He's a Galbadian soldier, right?" Zell exclaimed, jumping up in his too energetic way.

"Laguna, Kiros, and Ward…" The names escaped from his lips, in an almost dazed manner.

"Huh?! Yeah!"

"What does all of this mean?" Asked Selphie, her voice sounding a little less than overjoyed.

'Ah… this is all too much to take…' 

"I donno. We'll put this incident on hold and report to the headmaster as soon as we get back." He answered. What else were they supposed to do? "Until then, let's focus on our current mission."

"Well, lets get ready to kick some ass!" Zell jumped up and walked out of the door.

"Whoo! Still tired." Selphie stumbled out after Zell.

Squall held his head in thought, slowly rubbing his right temple where the migraine was forming.

'This is just turning out to be a wonderful day… I can't wait to see what happens later…'

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

The trio stepped out of the train and stared at the grimy, smoke polluted town of Timber, so called "Train Town: from the many trains that departed from it daily. But for a town with this sort of technology, it sure wasn't a wonder why the air smelled constantly of smoke. They wrinkled their noses and walked down the steps only to be stopped by a teen of about their age.

"The forests of Timber sure have changed."

Squall stared at him blankly before realizing that this was the contact. He dug into the back of his mind trying to remember the password.

'Dammit! What the hell was I supposed to say?' 

He turned around and motioned for the two behind him.

"(Uh guys… any one of you remember what the password was?)"

They all stared at him surprised.

"(How the hell are we supposed to know? You're the leader! We thought you would remember!)" Zell practically screamed at him, apparently forgetting what a whisper is.

"(Well I'm sorry!  I didn't choose to be the frickin' leader! Headmaster Cid just handed me the job because apparently I'm the only one capable of being in SeeD!)" He spat, furious at Zell.

"(Ok you two. Calm down. No need to fight.)" Selphie but in, frowning daggers at the arguing boys. Then she concentrated on the question that was asked. "(Now let's see… I think it had to do with chocobos… or was it moombas…?)"

'Oh dear Lord… we'll never get anywhere… might as well answer and try my luck…'

"Um… but the moogles are still around…?"

The boy just stared confused at them for a second. "Sorry for bothering you, Sir." With that he ran off.

'Dammit. Ah to hell with it.'

Squall ran after the starnegr, his team flanking behind him. They saw the boy run across train tracks, then nearly get squashed over by an oncoming train. Another teen ran out from it, racing over to the boy flat on his face on the tracks. Squall just couldn't help it. A smile washed over his face and he could feel his body shake with the laughter he held inside.

"Watts!" The other boy yelled. "What are you doing?!? How many times have I told you to watch out for the base?" He helped the shaken boy to his feet. "And where are those dudes?"

Watts shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "They got the password wrong and-"

The other boy, dressed completely in blue with deeply contrasting orange sneakers, grabbed the first man by the shoulders and shook him violently. "I don't CARE! We're paying these guys a fortune!" Then he looked over the tracks and straight at the group. "Get back in the train and I'll deal with you later." He thrust the man towards the yellow mobile and watched as he scrambled into its doors. "You guys." He stared straight at us. "C'mon!" he ran into the train.

Squall put his face in his heads and shook his head.

'You gotta be kidding me. We're working for THEM?'

He sighed and walked towards the train, glancing at the skull with the word "Raiders" under it. He motioned towards the train and walked up the steps leading to it, his group following behind him.

'This is DEFINITELY gonna be a long day…'

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

They stepped inside and saw the two teens standing there waiting for them. The man in blue stepped over to them.

"So you guys are SeeDs, huh?"

Squall stared blankly into his face.

"I'm Zone, the leader of the Forest Owls."

'Oh… so that's what the password was… owls…I'm such an idiot.'

He was snapped out of his thoughts when Zone extended his hand out to him. Squall, feeling a bit pissed off at his own stupidity, just glared at him. He slowly extended his hand, apparently afraid that Squall was going to bite it off. He glared ahead a bit more, finally speaking when he was the flicker of fear in Zone's eyes.

"I'm Squall, the squad leader. This is Zell, and Selphie."

Zell wiped his hands on his pants, ready to shake his hand, but Zone apparently had other thoughts on his mind. He walked over to Selphie and gently took her hand in his.

'Oy vay… already off, charming the lady. That reminds me of someone…'

He racked into his mind, trying to figure out who it reminded him of, but soon gave up when Zone spoke again.

"I see you've already met Watts. I guess it's just our Princess then."

'Princess?'

Watts nervously tapped Zone on the shoulder. "But Sir… it's the Princess's nap time…" He looked fear stricken. What the hell could be so frightening about that?

Zone hit his head. He turned to Squall, apparently thinking he was the person perfectly fir for the task. "Uh Squall… Do you think you could go wake up the Princess for us? Her room's in the back-"

"Were we hired to run errands? Well?" Squall snapped and Zone quickly backed away.

"Sorry man. Are you mad?"

He shook his head in his hand. 'We're SeeDs. Specially trained mercenaries… not gophers…'

Squall shot him another gaze from hell before answering. "This is the last time for this sort of thing." With that, he marched stormily down the corridor, going to go wake up the "Princess".

Author's Note: So what do you think? I was going to add the part where he meets Rinoa again to this chapter, but I decided not to. I'll try to get out chapter 3 as soon as I can. Summer's almost here, so that'll give me more time to work on this. But until then… FINALS! (ugh! I hate this part of the school year…) Well, buh byes until that wonderful time of the year that we all look forward to.


	3. Meeting the Princess

Disclaimer: Must I even repeat myself? I don't own anything! Even though I wish vehemently that Squall were mine…

Author's Note: Wow, finished this chapter sooner than I expected. Anyways, I'm so sorry bout the spelling mistakes in chapters one and two. I'll try to be more careful when typing. Well about the story, Squall's finally gonna meet Rinoa again! Yay! So sit back and enjoy his scattered thoughts! Um and thoughts are now in italics. Sorry, but before my computer wouldn't upload them, but now it decided to, so I'm changing that. Everything else is the same. 

Chapter Three: Meeting the "Princess" (Disc I, Part III)

            The handsome boy clad in black leather proceeded on his way down the hallway. His face was pinched with annoyance, his mouth pressed into a straight line of frustration. A strand of soft, sandy-brown hair flopped over his eyes, and he swept the strand out of his face, running his fingers through his hair. He was oblivious to the motion that he preformed, his mind concentrating on something else.

            _Who the hell does that Zone think he is? We weren't trained in the deadly arts of battle and magic to go running around and wake up some snobby chick._

            His fist clenched unwittingly at his side, flexing and closing again, his knuckles cracking in the process. His thoughts kept on lingering on the boy in the outer cabin, so he didn't realize that he had reached the end of the hallway, a closed door facing him on the left. He turned and looked at the slab of wood, his anger slowly seething inside of him. But after years of training his emotions, he kept the anger inside. On the outside, he just looked normal, the famed stoic look on his face as always. He took a deep breath to calm himself down and slowly turned the knob.

            When Squall entered the room, the first things he saw was a deep sea of rose. The room was completely washed in pink with lavish décor, well at least it was compared to what the rest of the train looked like. Soft pink curtains covered the room and in the corner there was a little mahogany dresser and mirror. In the other corner lie a large bed covered in rosy sheets, with a girl lying on top.

            A flash of blue and black struck out against the soft hues of the room. He stared at her a while, noting the way her long, sky blue sweater draped over her legs, the color of her pale ivory skin against the dark black, the strands of ebony silk falling on her face… His breath froze as the realization hit him.

            _Oh my God… I can't believe it._

            He continued staring at the girl, at the shape of her body as she lay curled up, the soft tint in her flushed cheeks, her beckoning lips… He couldn't help it. He just gawked at her, drinking in the sight of the girl he thought he would never see again.

            Suddenly, the train came to a sudden halt, shaking in the process. The girl moaned as the waves of slumber began to lift from her. The sound of the simple noise made him shudder; it sounded unbelievably pleasing. He shook his head as she turned and slowly sat up, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the light.

            Then her gaze traveled to him, locking straight onto his eyes. As the realization of who he was dawned on her, she let a tiny gasp escape her lips.

            "Hey… you're... you know, from the party… so… does that mean… you're a SeeD!?"

            All he could do was stare helplessly at her.

            _Oh God she's so beautiful…_

            The sound of her voice trailed off into his mind. The sound of its sweet and alluring tones drawing him back into the web of desire. His heart pounded and he felt that familiar knot forming in his throat again. She titled her head and looked up at him, curiosity shining in the depths of her chocolate eyes.

            He just kept on looking at her, basking in the sight of her. He thought he would never see her again, but here she was right in front of him, staring up at him. She looked so innocent, batting her eyelashes and simply waiting for his reply… reply?

            _You idiot! She asked you a question. What are you waiting for? Answer!_

            He tried to say something, but he felt his voice get lost on its way out of his mouth.

            _Dammit! Not this again!_

            He swallowed nervously while he continued staring at her. He nodded meekly and swallowed again.

            _What am I supposed to say to her?_

            His mind went blank as he continued to look into her eyes, drowning in its dark depth.

            _Um… maybe I should introduce myself…_

            "I'm Squall."

            She smiled at him and he felt himself almost melting at the sight of the smooth curve of her rosy lips.

            _What do I saw now? Well, she seems to be stuck on SeeD… and we are on a mission… guess I better tell her bout the other two morons I'm stuck with…_

            "I'm the squad leader." His voice shook slightly. He swallowed again and continued. "There's two others with me."

            He saw the sparkle in her eyes. She smiled brightly and pushed herself up off of the bed. He watched as she extended her legs and placed them on the floor. He saw the toned muscles… the smooth ivory skin…

            Then before he knew it, she had run at him and leapt into his arms, nearly knocking him over.

            "YEESSS!!! SeeD is here!!!"

            He didn't pay any attention to what she had screamed. He grabbed onto her waist, just because of his reflexes, but once his hands rested on her slim figure, he felt the forbidden attraction welling up with even more strength this time. He held onto her tightly, feeling her soft hair on his face as they twirled around. The silky strands brushed his cheek, their scent of strawberries lingering in his senses. Her arms wrapped tightly around his chest… the feel of her skin on his neck… it drove him insane.

            That moment, though it only lasted a mere second or two, seemed an eternity. In that moment, he fought a battle with himself, a battle whether to lower the walls encasing his heart and let her in, or keep them up, shunning her away and the chance of heartbreak. He didn't know what to do. He wanted to hold her forever, smell the luscious scent of her hair, feel her soft skin against his… but to feel all of that, he would have to let go of his heart. And he knew he couldn't. The pain of heartbreak was too unbearable to suffer again. That was when he decided to close himself up again, forbidding his feelings to go any further. He loosened his grip on her and gently set her down. She looked so fragile, as if she might break with a harsh touch. But it didn't matter to him anymore. He would not surrender his heart to her. He would not be abandoned again.

            "Take it easy." He tried to answer as normally as he could. She just couldn't know the way he felt about her. He looked away, afraid that looking into her eyes would draw him back under her spell. Out of the corner of his eyes, he spotted movement and saw her walk to the empty corner of the room.

            "It's just that I'm so happy! I've been sending requests to Garden forever, but nothing…"

            He couldn't help the temptation. His eyes fixed on her, watching her delicate hand grab her left arm, the right forearm resting softly against her flat stomach.

            "I'm so glad I spoke to Cid directly."

            Her words snapped him out of his trance, and he found himself moving involuntarily towards her.

            "Oh…" He was standing next to her again, his muscles freezing. He looked away again, scared of the feelings breaking free once more. His hand rested firmly on his hip as he struggled with his words. "So you were looking for the headmaster at the party?" What else was he supposed to say? 'Oh beautiful temptress, you mean you weren't waiting there to lure me under your spell?'

            She turned toward him, then shook her head. He stared baffled at her for a moment. 

_What was she doing there then?_

"You know Seifer?"

            Seifer… the name left a bad taste on his tongue, even though it was just a thought. Of course he knew Seifer. They were good old buddies… In fact, they're such good friends that they each gave each other a wonderful present, a lovely scar on each of their faces. Now he had a beautiful life-long memoir of his best friend… He nearly threw up at the mention of his rival. He felt like grabbing the nearest thing and beating the living crap out of it, and that would be her… no… that couldn't happen. So he just crossed his arms and looked away, the look of hatred and scorn on his face apparently oblivious to the girl in front of him.

            "…yeah…" The answer was dripping with disdain and disgust. But the girl just continued, as if not even noticing whether he answered or not. 

            "Well he's the one that introduced me to Cid."

            Thoughts raced through his mind.

            _Seifer introduced her to Cid…? Then that would mean that he knew her, enough to bring her to the Inaugural Ball…as a… date…_

            His breath caught short as he contemplated the facts in his mind. It had to be that. How else would she have gottten in without an invitation to have a meeting with Cid?

            _Oh idiot idiot idiot!_

            He couldn't believe. He was drooling over a girl who was dating Seifer! How could he? Now that lovely vision of beauty no longer seemed so magnificent… ok so maybe he was lying to himself about that part… she was still completely gorgeous… But she seemed a whole hell of a lot less attractive now that he knew that she actually liked Seifer… He shuddered at the thought.

            She continued, not noticing his shudder and the look of pure disgust on his handsome features. "Cid is such a nice man. I really didn't think that SeeD would come out and help such a measly little group like us…"

            He stared at her, a little shocked.

            _God, she must be dimmer than she appears. Liking Seifer already brought her down to the bottom of the line, but she didn't even take notice how I reacted to her statement. Damn, she must be a dumb blonde in disguise_ (A/N: please to all of the blondes out there, don't hate me. I don't mean it towards you. It's just a really stupid stereotype that I decided to have Squall use. I'm so sorry! Don't flame me for this please!). _Either that or she is just too plain happy and cheerful, refusing to accept the fact that people happen to be crabby and ill-tempered sometimes. Oh God, reminds me of that cheery, giggly Selphie. Doesn't matter what type she is, I hate both of them._

            "…Cid gave the go ahead right away!" She laughed. All of his thoughts shot out of his mind at the melodic and mesmerizing tune. His earlier thoughts of disgust about her immediately vanished as the sound of her mirth struck his ears. He was, once again, awestruck.

            "Now that you guys are here, we'll be able to carry out all kinds of plans!" 

She walked over to the mirror, looking at her reflection, fondling the ring hanging on her chest from a thin silver chain. He was left all by himself, gazing at her reflection in the mirror, frozen once more in his tracks as her spell weaved around him again. He observed her, noticing that she was quietly standing with her head down as if praying. He didn't want to disturb her quiet serenity, then he quickly reminded himself that she was nothing to him. Why should he care for her if she was Seifer's girl? Why should he if he vowed never to set his heart free again? Then he unwittingly stared at her again, his eyes slowly trailing from her hair, down her back, to her… He shook the somewhat lustful thoughts out his mind again. What? He couldn't help it. He's only male, after all. He walked slowly over to her, lightly coughing to get her attention.

            He turned around, still holding onto the ring. "Yes?"

            He shunned away the last of his thoughts about her, his face turning back into its indifferent and uncaring mask. "I'm goin' back to the others." He replied in the coldest voice he could muster at the moment, but it just didn't have the same effect. He still had feelings for her, not much, but just that little bit hindered his normally icy voice.

            "Ok, let's go!" She walked towards the door, leaving him to trail along behind her. Which just gave him a perfect view of her back, her legs, and her…

            _Ah! Just stop staring at her ass!_

            "Um, Squall?"

            He snapped his head up to meet hers, hoping that she hadn't seen the angle of his gaze.

            "Is 'he' here?"

            _'He'?_

            "Seifer."

            He could have smacked himself in the face. Of course 'he' was Seifer. Who else would she be thinking of?

            _You know you wanted her to have been thinking of you._

_            Shut up!_

            He clenched his eyes, willing the thoughts to the back of his head. Now how to answer her? He decided to tell her the brutal truth. Reveal to her that her boyfriend is nothing more than a scumbag that couldn't even make it into SeeD, no matter how many times he took the damn test.

            "… … No. He's not in SeeD."

            "Oh…" Her voice sounded disappointed. But that was what he wanted, wasn't it? Then why did it hurt so much to see her like this?

            _It's because you're in love with her. You just won't admit it._

_            Shut up for the last time!_

            When he lifted his head up, he saw her leaving through the door. He hung his head down. He was too confused. He seemed to be battling more with himself than with the enemy.

            He looked up to see her racing back into the room, stopping in front of front of him.

            "Oh yeah, my name's Rinoa."

            _Rinoa… Oh what a beautiful name… Perfect for such a beautiful woman…_

 She reached out and took his hand, slowly shaking it. "Very pleased to meet you Squall."

            His heart began to increase its beating, no matter how much he willed it to slow down.

            _She was pleased to meet me…? No, she's just being polite…but wait a minute… why do I care?_

            She put her hand on her knees, bending up to look at him. "SeeD members dance quite well, don't they?"

            He didn't know how to respond to her little flirty comment. He wanted to say something charming, but then chided himself for still thinking of her that way. He put his emotions aside and answered truthfully.

            "Approach your target inconspicuously at a dance party… There may be missions requiring this sort of subterfuge. It's expected of SeeD to learn various skills."

            She straightened up, a little slowly, a small pout dancing on her lips.

            "Oh… so it's work related. That's too bad…" She turned away from him. He shook his head, his thoughts flitting through once again.

            _Idiot idiot idiot…_

            She flicked her hair over her shoulder, catching his eye. The movement was amazingly sexy, the silky jet-black stands flying over her bare shoulder and landing softly on her back. He just stared, swallowing the troublesome lump forming once again in his throat.

            "Ok, I'll meet you there." With that, she ran out, leaving him staring at the spot where she just was. He put his hand on his forehead, the other on his hip. He closed his eyes as he felt the oncoming migraine.

            _This is all too much…_

            He gently rubbed his temples before heading out the door to meet with the others.

Author's Note: Ok, pretty long chapter for such a short period in the game, no? Well, I just kinda wanted to focus in on Squall's thoughts more, tell you what I think might have gone through his mind at the time. If you like it, please review. But as always, I ask you not to send any flames if you don't. Now I think I might have the next chapter up by at least Sunday, probably sooner though. But I'm really not sure. It depends on how things are. Oh and this is besides the point of the story, but I just feeling like telling you. I finally graduated 8th grade today! Whoo hoo! I also got valedictorian, so that was totally like awesome. Uh… sorry, I'll be on my way now, and let you go review. (hint hint) ^_^


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